Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction - The Underground Railroad

Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction - The

Underground Railroad
by ReadWorks

"The Underground Railroad" by Charles T. Webber, 1893

The Underground Railroad was not a railroad. It wasn't underground either. But it did help
show thousands of black men and women the way from the slavery of the south to freedom in
the north.

Before the Civil War, it was illegal to help slaves escape because slaves were considered
property. However, many people thought slavery was morally wrong. They were willing to put
themselves at risk to help slaves escape. The Underground Railroad was the system of men
and women who hid slaves in their homes and on their farms as they made their journey to
freedom. The stops along the way were called "stations," just like the stations on a railroad
train. Each house told the fugitives where they would find the next friendly house. The railroad
was so secret that each station along the way knew only about the house before it and the
house after it. That way no one could tell on the entire system and find out the whole route of
the Underground Railroad.

Slaves often traveled only by night to avoid capture. Before they reached their first house, the
North Star was their only guide to freedom. The stars of the northern night sky look like they
move around the North Star. By following the North Star, slaves could be sure that they were
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 Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction - The Underground Railroad

traveling north.

The people who helped slaves escape were called conductors. Harriet Tubman is one of the
most famous conductors. After she escaped herself, she risked her life again and again to
help hundreds of other men and women escape. Harriet Tubman refused to let slaves turn
back once they were in her group on the Underground Railroad. White men might capture
anyone who left. Then the whole group would be in danger. She would never allow this to
happen. Legend says she would pull out a gun and tell the nervous person, "You'll be free or
die a slave." No one ever disobeyed her, and they all reached freedom.

She was selfless her whole life. During the Civil War she worked as a nurse and a spy for the
Union army. She would tell Northern generals where the Southern troops were. The
gravestone of this truly remarkable woman reads: "Servant of God, well done."

ReadWorks.org · © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.